Answer the question that was asked.
Marks are lost on command words as often as on content: description under "Analyse", a list under "Discuss". Each word below says what it asks for and how to structure the answer. Then drill it: pick the opening that does what the command word asks.
DefineGive the precise meaning of a term.
Usually 2 marks. One for the core idea, one for the precision that separates it from similar terms.
How to answer
- One sentence, two at most.
- Use the key words examiners look for, such as "next best alternative" for opportunity cost.
- No examples are needed unless the question asks for one.
What loses marks
Explaining why the idea matters instead of saying what it is, or giving an example in place of a definition.
Define opportunity cost. [2]
Opportunity cost is the next best alternative forgone when a choice is made.
Identify / StateName or pick out a point, usually from the data given, with no explanation.
Usually 1 or 2 marks, one per correct point.
How to answer
- A word, a phrase or a short sentence for each mark.
- If the question says "from the extract", the answer must come from the extract.
- Do not explain: there are no marks for it, and it costs you time.
What loses marks
Writing a paragraph of explanation for a 1-mark answer, or naming a point from general knowledge when the question asked for one from the data.
Identify two factors of production mentioned in the extract. [2]
Labour (the 400 new workers) and capital (the new machinery).
CalculateWork out a numerical answer from the figures given.
Usually 1 to 3 marks. Working can earn marks even when the final answer is wrong.
How to answer
- Write the formula, then substitute the numbers.
- Give the unit: $, %, units of output, or none for an index or elasticity.
- Keep the sign: a PED of -0.5 is not the same answer as 0.5.
What loses marks
Giving only the final number, so a slip anywhere loses every mark, or dropping the unit or the sign.
Calculate the price elasticity of demand when price rises by 10% and quantity demanded falls by 25%. [2]
PED = % change in quantity demanded ÷ % change in price = -25 ÷ 10 = -2.5
DescribeSay what something is like or what is happening, often what data show. No reasons are needed.
Usually 2 to 4 marks.
How to answer
- For data: state the overall trend, then the exception or the biggest change, using figures and dates.
- Use the figures in the data, with units.
- Do not explain why: that is not what the question asks for.
What loses marks
Explaining the causes of a trend instead of describing it, or describing without using any figures.
Describe what happened to the country’s inflation rate between 2020 and 2024. [3]
Inflation rose overall, from 1.5% in 2020 to a peak of 9% in 2022, then fell back to 4% by 2024, which was still above its 2020 level.
ExplainGive reasons why something happens, showing how one thing leads to another.
Usually 2 to 6 marks. Marks go for each developed reason, not for each point named.
How to answer
- Make the point, then give the reason with "because" or "so".
- Develop it one step further: what happens as a result.
- Two well-developed reasons beat four bare ones.
What loses marks
Listing points without saying why each one happens, which is describing, not explaining.
Explain why a fall in interest rates may increase consumer spending. [4]
Lower interest rates make borrowing cheaper, so households are more likely to buy cars and other goods on credit. They also reduce the reward for saving, so some households choose to spend more of their income now instead of saving it.
AnalyseExamine in detail, tracing a chain of cause and effect step by step, often using a diagram.
Usually 4 to 8 marks. This is AO2, and it is lost in the gaps between steps.
How to answer
- Start from the cause given in the question.
- Take each link in turn, with "so", "therefore" or "which means", until you reach the effect asked about.
- Use a diagram where one helps, and refer to it in the text.
What loses marks
Jumping from cause to effect without the steps in between, for example "a subsidy lowers prices" with no mention of costs or supply.
Analyse how a subsidy to producers of electric cars could affect the market for electric cars. [6]
A subsidy is a payment per unit to producers, which lowers their costs of production. At every price firms are now willing to supply more, so the supply curve shifts to the right. At the original price there is now excess supply, so the price falls, and as it falls quantity demanded extends along the demand curve. The new equilibrium has a lower price and a higher quantity of electric cars bought and sold.
DiscussWrite about the issue from more than one side, using arguments and evidence, and reach a conclusion.
Usually 6 to 8 marks at IGCSE, more at A Level. Marks need both sides and a justified conclusion.
How to answer
- Analyse the case for, with at least one developed chain.
- Analyse the case against, just as fully.
- Conclude by weighing them: say which side is stronger and why, or what the answer depends on.
What loses marks
Writing only one side, or writing both sides and finishing with "it depends" without saying on what.
Discuss whether a government should raise the national minimum wage. [8]
A higher minimum wage raises the income of the lowest paid, which reduces poverty among working households and may encourage more people into work. However, if it is set above the market wage, firms may demand less labour, so some low-skilled workers could lose their jobs. On balance, a moderate rise is likely to do more good than harm when the labour market is tight, because firms find it hard to cut staff, but a large rise in a recession risks the unemployment it is meant to prevent.
EvaluateJudge the strengths and weaknesses of something and reach a supported judgement about it.
This is AO3, 30% of the marks on Papers 2 and 4. Marks go for weighing, not for listing.
How to answer
- Analyse the strengths first, so there is something to evaluate.
- Then weigh: how large is the effect, how likely, over what time period, and for whom?
- Reach a judgement that follows from what you have weighed, not one added at the end.
What loses marks
Listing advantages and disadvantages in two columns with no judgement of which matters more.
Evaluate the use of a tax on sugary drinks to reduce obesity. [8]
The tax raises the price of sugary drinks, so consumption falls, and the size of the fall depends on price elasticity of demand. Because demand for any one brand is elastic but demand for sugary drinks as a whole is fairly inelastic, the fall in consumption may be small, so the tax may raise more revenue than it changes behaviour. Its success therefore depends on whether the revenue is used for education and healthier alternatives, which work on the cause rather than the price.
AssessMake an informed judgement about how far something is true or how important it is, considering the evidence.
An A Level command word that combines analysis and evaluation. The judgement must answer "how far".
How to answer
- Analyse the main argument with a full chain of reasoning.
- Consider what limits or strengthens it: the size of the effect, time lags, other factors.
- Answer the question in the terms it uses: "to a large extent", "only in the short run", and say why.
What loses marks
Giving a yes or no answer without saying how far, or putting the judgement in the last line with nothing before it that supports it.
Assess the extent to which a depreciation of the currency will reduce a current account deficit. [12]
A depreciation makes exports cheaper abroad and imports dearer at home, so export volumes should rise and import volumes fall, reducing the deficit. How far this happens depends on the price elasticities of demand for exports and imports: if their sum is less than one, as it often is in the short run, export revenue rises by less than import spending, so the deficit can worsen before it improves. The effect is therefore likely to be small at first and larger after a year or more, and only lasting if domestic inflation does not cancel out the gain in competitiveness.